Sick Day
by LuigiWife1551
Summary: Poor Ignis gets sick and finally allows himself to be cared for. All fluff with a sick Iggy. Rated to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! After my first story, I wanted to add more to the Final Fantasy XV fandom- primarily in the hurt/comfort area. I just love those boys! And then the idea came to me- what if one of them got sick on the other three? I decided to do Ignis just because I feel like the team depends on him for quite a lot of things, from strategies, to cooking, to basic hygiene, to playing parent to Noctis- his plate's pretty full. So here's a story about one chocbro down for the count. Please enjoy! I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Sick Day**

 **Chapter 1**

It started off as a strange sensation in the back of his throat. As he drove down the unbearably hot and humid day, the breeze providing little comfort to the black-clad men in a black-clad Regalia, Ignis Scientia had a strong urge to do something he found so undignified he'd never live it down if the others heard him.

But by the gods, he just wanted to clear his throat, and NOT by coughing his mucus up. So he did the only thing that made sense on a long drive like today.

A few meters ahead, there was a small gas station and a parking lot. Ignis used his judgement- Gladiolus, the biggest and usually the least whining of the foursome, was squirming a lot more than normal in his seat as he tried to finish his book on survival camping. His head rested in his right hand as he shifted yet again, the hot air pushing his long brown hair in his face and mouth.

Next, Ignis quickly- and no doubt with skill of a ninja- scanned their royal Prince Noctis, who appeared to be taking a rather uncomfortable nap. His raven black hair kept tickling his nose, causing him to become agitated as he yawned and sat up.

Lastly, from the corner of his eye, Ignis checked on their gunner and the most complaining of the group, Prompto. The blonde was unusually quiet as he looked out the bland scenery, head resting on arms that were surely going to be sunburnt from so much exposure. His camera was more than likely tucked safely away from the heat, Ignis concluded with a sly smile, probably in his jacket pocket. He'd heard the gunner constantly whine about his camera messing up if it came into too much contact with the sun.

As much as Ignis sometimes wanted to sew Prompto's lips shut, he knew he loved listening to the whining and chatter the blonde provided. He wished for it at the moment as they drove on in silence. And while he was at it... he wished that scratchy feeling was gone as well.

"Iggy. Can we please pull over?" Noctis finally complained. "It's scorching out here!"

"We could, Your Highness... if you so wish to." Ignis answered, secretly thanking the gods that Noctis hated such extreme weather change. No one else in the car was arguing down that, either.

"I need to get out and stretch... and take a shower." Gladiolus said as he packed up his book and stretched his arms. "I think a pit's stops a good idea."

"Me too. I think my arms are fried!" Prompto, being the overdramtic he was, held his arms over his head so he friends could see his 'injuries'. "Iggy come on, please park in that gas station! They even have a diner!"

"Diner? Food definitely sounds like a good idea." Noctis grinned at the prospect of an all meat burger with cheese, while Gladiolus rolled his eyes.

Ignis didn't say anything. His throat was more than likely parched from the over four hour drive, and he figured once he and his friends ate something and cooled off, they would be ready to hit the last stretch of trip to Altissa. But a pit stop was definitely needed. It was getting late and he wasn't risking a late night drive anywhere. So he pulled into the gas station and parked the Regalia near one of the old gas pumps so he could fill her with gas while the others entered into the diner.

After five minutes, and about 10 gil, Ignis soon joined the others. Gladiolus and Noctis were having a disagreement about what to order, while Prompto had his camera out, snapping about three pictures before scrolling through some older ones.

"I presume that everyone has placed their order?" Ignis asked as he sat. Noctis glared at his shield, who was trying to convince him to order some nasty veggie dish.

"Well, I did! Cheeseburger and fries, baby!" Prompto smiled before jerking his thumb at the other two. "But they've been arguing like an old married couple for awhile."

"Hey! We are NOT arguing!" Shield and Prince spoke at the same time. Ignis simply rolled his eyes and picked out his order, his head beginning to feel the on-comings of a headache.

"Could you possibly keep your bickering to a minimum?" Ignis grunted as he massaged his temples. "Besides giving me a headache, you are causing a scene."

Gladiolus and Noctis looked around and sure enough, people were looking at them with stranve expressions. They looked back at each other before Noctis, being ever so childish, stuck his tongue out at his shield before the waitress came to collect their order. Gladiolus sighed heavily and glared at Noctis before saying to Ignis, "You REALLY spoil him too much sometimes, Iggy."

"And you never know when to quit. Noct will never eat vegetables. I've tried since he was a teenager."

The foursome continued random chatter until the drinks arrived first. Prompto and Noctis ordered cola, Ignis, straight black coffee, and Gladiolus, a smoothie of sorts. No one knew what it was and Prompto made an offhand comment about the smell, only to be rewarded with a sharp slap upside the head.

Once their food arrived, everyone began to eat. Everyone except Ignis. While he only ordered a cheese egg omlet and toast, the sight of food turned his stomach slightly and he nibbed at the bread briefly before he pushed the plate away. Gladiolus looked at the spectacle-wearing man over the rim of his glass, and Ignis met his gaze.

"Not hungry?" the shield asked softly. Ignis leaned back and looked at Noctis and Prompto. Noctis was smiling at some crazy entertainment that Prompto was providing him. Said blond was holding three fries in one hand, waving it around to emphasis a point.

"Not... particularly." Ignis answered, trying not to make it clear his stomach was beginning to turn. He took another sip of his cooling black Ebony and sighed. "I may just be tired. We should be going soon..."

The tank narrowed his eyes, but continued to eat and chose not to push Ignis further. He knew, however, that something was off with their driver, and he was determined to make him talk.

His suspicions were confirmed as they made their way out of the diner a few moments later. As the foursome walked out of the diner, intending to drive a few more miles to secure a motel room for the night before darkness fell, Ignis suddenly stumbled into the sturdy Gladiolus, his glasses slipping an inch off his face. Gladiolus helped straighten his up, brushing a hand over his skin.

"Iggy, you're hot. And not in that way." Gladio commented as he looked at Ignis. The smaller man seemed to have a hard time breathing, but it wasn't so serious that anyone else, even himself, would have noticed. "Are you sure you're up for driving, Iggy?"

Ignis just nodded, nodding his thanks as he pulled himself together. "Thank you, Gladio. But I believe I will be more than capable to drive. It may just be the heat getting to me. Besides..."

He motioned to the two younger men waiting near the Regalia. Noctis stood with his arms crossed while Prompto waved at them to hurry up. "Would you want these two to be driving her?"

Gladio chuckled, one hand on his hip. "Good point." The two walked over to the Regalia, Ignis shrugging off his jacket and tossing it over the driver's seat. Noctis got into his usual seat, and Prompto called shotgun. Gladiolus got into the right side, pushing Prompto's seat to get him to move his chair up.

"Everyone ready?" Ignis took one good look behind him. "Your Highness?"

Noctis gave him a thumb's up before taking off his jacket and tossing an arm over his eyes. "Get us outta this heat, Specs."

"Or you could just take off your shirt." Their tank laughed as he did so, revealing a very well maintained upper torso, with a tight black sleeveless undershirt. Prompto looked behind him and upon seeing the priceless sputtering of Noctis, couldn't resist taking a picture of his best friends. Ignis shook his head, put the Regalia in drive, and proceeded to smoothly drive her to their final destination for the day.

"Like you?" Noctis smirked as he leaned back into the comfort of home. "You know if you start to sweat..."

"Ooohhh, you're gonna stick to the seats! You can't ruin the Regalia's seats with your nasty-OWWW!"

Gladiolus looked as innocent as he wanted to, and not like he'd just punched Prompto's shoulder rather hard. Ignis sighed and looked in the rear view mirror. This was going to be a long drive.

"Could you possibly settle down? We should arrive there shortly."

The Regalia settled down after another ten minutes. Noctis was fast asleep, the hot breeze ruffling his hair and his jacket. His arm was still over his eyes to keep the sun's rays from hitting his face. Gladiolus caught up on his reading, one hand cradling his head as he absorbed the information off the pages. He felt pretty comfortable despite his bulk and the tight shirt he wore. Prompto was scanning through his camera, looking at pictures that he took from the past three jacket, although sleeveless to begin with, was also off and behind him as support. Blond bangs brushed his freckled cheeks and nose as he looked for the perfect setting for his pictures later.

Ignis was the only one who felt hotter than he should have. Even without his jacket on, he was lightheaded and it was growing by the second. He shook it off, sipping some of the Ebony in a can he always seemed to have literally on hand. The silence was beginning to annoy him, so he reached forward to adjust the knob. Prompto peeked up from his flapping bangs and noticed something that had him worrying a little.

"Hey Specs?"

"Yes, Prompto?"

Prompto noticed his friend's fingers were trembling slightly, and rather than call him out on it, reached out and adjusted the knob for him. "I got it. You just focus on the road, man."

"Thank you." his friend said quietly. That was another sign that Prompto needed to say something to one of the others about Ignis's behavior later. Ignis sounded... tired. He only hoped a good night's rest in a cool room would be just what he needed... stars knew he needed it.

 **-FFXV*FFXV*FFXV*FFXV*FFXV-**

"We have arrived. Everyone out."

Prompto stretched his arms as he made his way out of the car. Gladiolus followed suit and Noctis... well, he took a little while. Ignis went up ahead to secure a room for them for the night as Prompto stared after him, worried.

"Hey. Something wrong?" Gladiolus asked.

"It's... did Iggy seem off to you?" Prompto asked them. Noctis shrugged.

"Not more than normal."

Gladiolus rolled his eyes; leave it to the king of Lucis, a whole NATION, to be so damn obvious. "Yeah, I did. He barely ate anything while we were at the diner earlier and he seems... I don't know, clumsier than normal."

"Specs is NEVER clumsy, Prompto." Noctis noted.

"That's my point! Something is wrong with him, Noct! And in the car he kept shaking his head like he didn't have the answer to a question or something." Prompto looked at his friends, worry clear on his face. "You think something's wrong?"

"Maybe it was just the heat. Even Ignis can feel the effects of heatstroke sometimes." Noctis offered. "He probably overworked himself or something. Knowing him, he will never say something about it."

"Well... neither do you, Noct." That statement earned the blond photographer a near death glare. Gladiolus snapped his fingers to get their attention, as Ignis was returning back to them with keys in hand.

"It could be... but we better keep an eye on him. Just in case." Gladiolus whispered to them before Ignis arrived.

"Well, I've procured us two rooms. Who will be sharing with who?" Ignis asked. Noctis, now that he could get a real close look at Ignis, noticed his normally sparking green eyes looked a bit dull and he appeared to be struggling to keep his usual composure. _'Maybe he is getting sick...'_

The three men looked at each other. Someone trustworthy needed to look after Ignis, whether he wanted to or not. "Alright. I'll bunk with Iggy." Gladiolus plucked a key from Ignis and held it in front of their king.

"Your Highness, Prom. Y'all have fun." Gladiolus said. As he gave Noctis the key, Ignis muttered something along the lines of heading in early and left them. Gladiolous looked at his retreating back.

"I guess you'll keep an eye on him then?" Noctis asked.

"...yeah. Hopefully all he needs is some sleep. I think his Ebony ran out earlier too."

"I can get him some." Prompto volunteered. "I think that small store over there might have some. If not I'll ask around."

Satisfied with the plan for the time being, the largest of the group mumbled a goodnight and followed after their comrade. Prompto and Noctis looked at one another.

"Ready to go to sleep man?"the blond asked, throwing an arm over his best friend's shoulder as they headed to the store to stock up on some ethers. Noctis let out an amused scoff and rolled his eyes, but didn't shrug the arm off him.

"Nah. You'll probably keep me up with King's Knight all night."

"Aww, come on Noct! You love that game too!"

"Keep it down. It's getting late."

"Psh. Whatever, man. Ooooh, let's take a photo right there! The sunset's just right!"

"Oh brother..."

* * *

When Gladiolus entered the room, he normally expected Ignis to be sitting in one of the lounge chairs, a cup of something in one hand and usually reading that day's papers, or checking his phone for anything he might of missed for the day.

What he found instead was Ignis half curled in the sheets of his motel bed, his shoes, pants and jacket not only tossed about, but messily thrown about. Immediately Gladio arched an eyebrow. Ignis always kept his clothes neatly folded and his shoes were always near the door and properly put away. As he neared the fitful man, he also noted the man's beloved glasses were still on.

"Iggy." Gladio roughly shook his shoulder, expecting an instant reply or response. Ignis, however, simply let out a moan and stilled, his eyes still closed. Gladio felt his forehead and hissed; he felt far warmer than earlier.

"Iggy. Come on, man. Open your eyes."Gladio sat him up, and it was then Ignis finally opened his eyes.

"Oooh... G-Gladio..." the smaller of the two groaned, already leaning forward as his headache was pushing towards a migraine. "Head... hurts..."

Gladiolus suddenly felt horrid for having woken him. Ignis was allowed to feel like crap sometimes, he knew that. Gently, he laid the man back down, and took note that his friend's face was slightly... pink.

"Sorry man... just sleep. Everything should be better when you wake up." Gladio kept his voice low so as not to interrogate his poor friend's head further. He removed his glasses and placed them nearby on the nightstand before going to fold up his clothes and placing them on the chair.

"You must be getting sick... ah damn, Iggy..."

There was a knock at the door. Gladiolus answered and placed a finger on his lips to tell the newcomers to keep their voices down.

"Hey big guy. How is he?" Prompto whispered loudly. Gladio just shook his head.

"I think he's getting sick on us, but I don't know from what. How are we on potions?" Gladiolus asked. Prompto grinned and presented a bag, which contained six ethers and potions apiece. Patting his dear friend on the head and ruffling his hair, Gladiolus laughed.

"Good job, Prompto."

Noctis was sitting on Ignis's bed, watching as he confidant's breathing hitched at random times. "You sure he's alright? His face... it's pink."

Gladiolus and Prompto came over and surrounded the bed. "He was up but he could barely keep his eyes open. I knew he had a headache earlier so I told him to get some rest."

"Well... maybe we should all just spend the night in here?" Prompto suggested. "We could speak to the person downstairs and ask for the money to go to the room."

"And just WHERE are we supposed to sleep?"

Gladiolus scoffed at the stupid question. "All the times we've been sleeping in the tent and you're really asking that question, Prince?"

It took Noctis a moment to click the answer together; the tank laughed, an arm over his shoulders. "Awww, is someone feeling awkward? Just imagine you with Lady Luna in the same room, in the same bed-"

"Alright, stop that... good grief, those were thoughts I could go without!" Noctis exclaimed, pushing his laughing friends away. A low moan and shifting of the bed sheets warned the men to keep it down.

"Alright then! Should I go put on the charm and get this switch going?"

"Yeah, alright. Go 'put on the charm', my man."

It took a while, but the room's deposit was moved to a new, two-king bedroom. Gladiolus roused Ignis and helped him walk down the hall, while Prompto gathered his clothes and shoes. Once they reached the other room, Gladio desposited him on one bed.

"Guess I'll bunk with him. Don't need him rolling off the damn bed and hurting himself." Gladio made to the bathroom, feeling two sets of eyes boring into his back.

"Shut the hell up you weirdos." Snickering, Noctis and Prompto sat on the bed and decided to order in. There was a small noodle shop not far from their motel; they knew Gladiolus would appreciate it and the soup would help with Ignis as well.

"Oi! Big guy!" Prompto knocked on the bathroom door. "I'm heading out for some noodles! Want anything?"

A head popped out. "Extra meat, shirmp and a really big egg. Don't care which." The door slammed shut. Prompto just blinked and shook his head before he grabbed about 200 gil and waved to his best friend with a smile.

"Alrighty then. Watch over Specs, 'kay Noct?"

* * *

It was pushing eleven at night when Gladiolus felt a weak slap on his arm and sat up. He rubbed his eyes in the dark room, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. He glanced over, seeing Prompto and Noctis fast asleep, limbs and sheets thrown every which way, Prompto's mouth hanging wide open as he snored, Noctis curled on his right side with his pillow over his head.

He then glanced down and saw Ignis's bright green eyes half way open, and smiled. "Hey. Finally decided to join us?"

Ignis was clearly confused. He blinked twice and looked around the room before he settled on Noctis and Prompto. "Wh... wha' happen..." he asked softly, his voice sounding raspy. He cleared his throat and tried asking again.

"Nothin. We just decided to stay together is all. Don't make it awkward." Gladiolus yawned and sat up. "How you feeling? Thinking you can eat?"

The sound of food didn't appeal to the brunette and he shut his eyes, his stomach churning from the movement and thought of food. "Not... hungry..." he croaked, turning his head away from his friend. He felt so... undignified. Vulnerable, if he would.

"Gods, my body... everything h-hurts..." he whispered, more to himself than anything, but his friend heard.

Gladiolus placed a hand on his forehead and Ignis let out a relieved moan at the cold touch, subconsciously leaning heavily into the hand. "Ah, damn...Iggy... I think we're gonna be staying here awhile. Looks like you're getting a fever." Gladiolus got up to get something and Ignis decided laying down was the best thing he could do for now.

"Just get some sleep, man. We're gonna talk more when you come around." Gladiolus placed something on his slowly burning skin and by the gods, it felt wonderful... and he felt so drowsy...

Ignis tried to reply back but he found his body not wanting to cooperate with him. The last thing he remembered was a sheet being pulled over his shivering frame, a wet rag draped over his head, and then everything went blissfully black.

* * *

 **And complete! One more chapter to go after this!**

 **Please let know what you guys thought of this, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible. I hope you like it!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all! The last chapter is now ready! I hope you enjoy the Ignis fluff!**

 **I don't own anything.**

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 **Sick Day**

 **Chapter 2**

The next morning, Prompto woke first and sat up, disengaging himself from his sheets and letting out a long yawn. He smiled at Noctis, who was now on his back, a pillow still thrown on his his face, trying to keep as much to his side as possible. He then glanced over at Gladiolus, who was snoring away, one leg dangling of the left hand side, his bulk taking up much of the space on the bed. Prompto held back a snicker at the comically snores and funny twitches he friend made and slowly reached for his camera, but paused.

"Nah... I kinda like my head on my shoulders." he decided before his blue eyes landed on Ignis, who looked like he was having a very fitful sleep. Leaning a little closer, he noticed Ignis's pinched expression, a handful of tissues surrounding his head and littering the floor, and he heard horrible sounds as he tried to breathe in and out. It tore at Prompto's heart and he carefully crawled out of bed and over to Ignis, his objective to fix the tossed sheets over his shivering frame.

"Hey, Iggy." Prompto whispered sadly as he placed a hand on his shoulder, wishing he could do more. Immediately, he retracted it back with a yelp. Ignis's skin was burning up, and the heat was radiating through his shirt.

"Iggy! Wake up!" His panic startled Gladiolus, who shot straight up, his fist balled while his other hand summoned his Greatsword. Upon seeing Prompto shaking Ignis awake, he lowered his hand and his sword disappeared.

"What the hell?!"

"Gladdy, it's Iggy! His skin is burning up!" Prompto panicked, shaking Ignis a lot harder than he needed. "And he's not waking up!"

Gladiolus pushed him out of the way and took over his job, slapping at his face, shaking his shoulders before he realized what Prompto was talking about. He pressed his hand to Ignis's forehead.

"Ah, I get it..." the tank hummed thoughtfully. "He's passed out. He must've spiked overnight. He wasn't this bad yesterday when he was driving."

"I-Is he... alright?" Prompto asked in a fearful whisper. Never had anyone seen Ignis so... sick. So weakened and vulnerable. "Why is he shaking if he's burning up?"

Gladiolus sighed and scooped Ignis in his strong arms. The latter tried weakly to mutter something but Gladiolous just ignored him. "It's because he's real sick. He's got the chills. So even though his body's trying to fight off the fever, to him it's freezing and he wants to warm up. Which is normally a good thing, except his fever just keeps getting higher..."

A thought stuck him. "Prompto, look in Iggy's bag and check if he has a thermometer."

Doing as he was told, the blond found the small item and handed it to Gladiolus. He popped the lid off and placed it under his tongue. Prompto just watched with amazement.

"Wow, Gladdy. You really know your stuff..." Prompto commented, truly amazed at how calm he was staying. Gladiolus smiled a little as he waited for the small beep he needed to hear.

"Yeah... taking care of a little sister- and occasionally our little prince- you learn a thing or two. Iggy's been showing me the ropes as well, so... I guess it's important we all know how to care for each other in case things like this happens."

"Yeah..."

A moment later, the beep chirped and Gladiolus removed the thermometer. Prompto leaned closer, eyes slightly wide with interest at his large friend's expression.

"I-Is it bad...?" he hesitantly asked. Gladiolus grimly nodded, showing Prompto the numbers.

"Oh shit...106.8 His fever's WAY too high. It's amazing he's still alive... that should've cooked his huge brain by now." Knowing that they had to act fast, he said, "Listen, Prompto. I need you to run a cold bath. As cold as you can manage it. Fill the bathtub. His fever needs to come down quick or we'll have a dead man on our hands. As soon as it's ready, change the sheets on our bed and have a potion nearby."

Prompto just nodded and darted off to do as he was ordered, too freaked out by Ignis' flushed face and shaking hands to want to talk. Gladiolus then noticed Noctis, who must've woken up over all the noise for once in his life, and was just staring at his longtime confidant. He had overhead enough of the conversation to know they were treading very dangerous water.

"Gladio... is he..." Noct didn't want to finish, and slid closer to the edge of the bed as Gladio temporarily made their bed Ignis's new sleeping space.

"He's got a bad cold, that's for sure. His fever's spiked, and he must've been sneezing half the night." He jerked his head over to the other bed and Noctis leaned to the left, gasping at the sheer amount of tissues covering Ignis's side of the bed.

"...I didn't hear him. Probably kept him up half the night..dammit, Iggy. Why don't you ever care for yourself better..."

The Prince was beginning to wonder the exact same thing as he watched Ignis sneeze into a pillow. His eyes widened when he specs of blood on the pillowcase. "Oh Ignis..." Noctis brushed his hair back and rested a hand on his forehead, hoping that would give him a bit of comfort. It occurred to the prince that he'd never saw Ignis this... exposed. He'd never seen him outside of his clothes, never saw him sick, never saw him... well, act like a human sometimes.

He was always on duty, always being a confidant, a chef, a magician, a fighter, a walking encyclopedia, always worrying, always calm and collected, always immaculate... but never vulnerable like he was now. It was... strange. Weird, even. Seeing him clad in only a damp white t-shirt and his boxers, it was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"You always do too much for me, Specs... I guess this is a good way to get you to rest." Noctis said softly, a tiny smile forming at the thought of what Ignis would have done had he heard him say that. "You and me are stubborn, though. We would fight this until it got so bad we'd have to stop. But that doesn't mean you get to work yourself to death, okay?"

As he spoke, Ignis's eyes fluttered and he coughed, his body tensing from the pain that probably shot down his body. A few seconds later, his eyes opened to silts.

"Wh't... g'on..." he whispered, his throat burning and dry as he tried to form a coherent sentence. His eyes hurt, his head was pounding, his body felt heavy... nothing was cooperating and he felt cold and hot all at once. He didn't have the strength to lift his head and see what was going on. He just liked the cooling sensation on his forehead-that felt nice.

"You're sick, dumbass." Noctis chuckled. "Just spiked a fever and you definitely have a cold. When were you gonna say something?"

Ignis simply stared at Noct and blinked, his head too heavy and clogged with pain and mucus to comprehend he'd been spoken to. Noctis smirked. "That has to be a first."

"What?" Gladiolus asked upon returning to collect their ill friend, Prompto behind him with an armful of towels.

"That Specs is actually speechless."

A small laugh was shared among the three brothers before it was cut off by a violent, sudden cough, followed by another sneeze that caused more bloody mucus to become expelled onto the pillowcase.

"Ewww... that's gross..." the blond cringed at the globs and spots of red now decorating his pillow. "I am so NOT sleeping on that!"

Gladiolus tossed the pillow aside. "Well that's a good thing. He's trying to clear his lungs out, but I don't know what's causing that blood..."

Soon after, a round of coughing overtook Ignis, to the point where he was about to black out from the pounding in his head. They waited until the coughing spell was over, and Ignis was limp on the bed before Gladiolus decided enough was enough.

"Alrighty, Specs. I hate that I have to do this..." Gladiolus stood with Ignis's light weight in tow. "Prom, everything set?"

"A-Ah, yeah! Yeah, I got everything big guy!"

In two long strides, Gladio was in the bathroom. He gently lowered Ignis into the tub, and immediately, green hues flew open and arms flopped every which way as he tried to break free from the sudden shock of the cold.

"Hey! Hey, hey, Iggy! It's me, man!" Gladiolus roared over the splashing and panicked gasps of his friend. "Hang on, we're getting your fever down!"

Ignis's legs connected with the faucet and split the skin above his right big toe, tinting the freezing water red. Eventually, and rather quickly, Ignis ran out of energy to fight back and his limbs stopped moving.

"...G...Gla..." Ignis couldn't find the energy in him to speak. The sudden cold was painful... it was like something was sticking him everywhere with pins and he wanted to rip his skin off. His body hurt, and his head... gods, his head... he didn't think that could get worse. He wanted to get out and weakly tried to claw at his friend's arm, but it ended up being more of a very, very weak slap as he tried to form thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Iggy... but we gotta get you better." Again, Ignis struggled to keep Gladiolus in his line of sight but everything was starting to dim over.

"Gl...c-co...I..." Nothing made sense anymore and gods was he tired... more than ever. He felt a gentle, large and calloused hand brush the wet hair off his forehead and heard a small conversation- or what he believed was one but really sounded like very garbled static nonsense- and his eyes briefly flicked over a black and yellow huge blob in his line of sight next to the brown and black one. Before he could say anything about it, however, he suddenly went limp and blacked out.

"Here, big guy." Prompto handed him a towel and stood back, his heart tightening upon actually seeing Ignis limp in the bathtub. "He passed out again?"

"Yeah... probably from the shock. But his fever needs to drop so we gotta keep him in here for a moment." Gladiolus was able to lean Ignis against the back of the tub to keep him from drowing and sighed heavily, cracking out the crimp in his neck.

"How is holding up?" Noctis asked from the threshold.

"Well... his fever's still high. We gotta let him rest and keep a very close eye on him." Gladiolus looked at his foot. "And get something for his toe- he split it earlier."

"So what should we do now?"

"Nothing for now, except wait for his fever to drop and get him to eat something." Standing at full height, hand on his hip, the tank then asked, "Well, who feels like checking on the Regalia , paying down for another night here and buying us breakfast?"

* * *

Nine hours later, Ignis was out of the cold bath and resting in a clean bed, wrapped in a thick blanket and a thin sheet underneath. His fever was still high- 104.2- but it was steadily dropping so the three were relived. He hadn't woken up since the cold bath and for a moment, they thought the shock had killed him.

"You think we should give him the potion?" Prompto asked as he sat on the bed next to Ignis, holding it in his hand. Noctis shrugged.

"I guess. It'll help with his recovery. But maybe he isn't ready for it... I don't know. Gladio?"

The tank crossed his arms. "I think we'd better wait a moment. He's still out of it and I don't think the potion is gonna help him like that."

So they waited. Morning had turned to afternoon, then to evening, and then night. It was much cooler as well, and the men spent their time playing a few rounds of King's Knight as they kept vigil over their friend.

Around nine that night, Ignis moaned, his eyes fluttering. Prompto held his breath, as Noctis and Gladiolus were arguing over yet another card game loss and wasn't quite paying attention, and scooted closer to him.

"Hey Iggy. Can you hear me?" Prompto whispered, not waiting to cause him more pain. He took his hand in his and squeezed. "Come on man, you gotta wake up... you slept longer than Noct does. And that's saying something."

He smiled in relief when he got a light squeeze back, followed by green hues looking at him, although his eyes were a bit glazed over. "Ignis?"

Noctis and Gladiolus heard him and cut their argument short, coming over to him as Ignis groaned and opened his eyes. He looked rather sleepy and his hair spiked literally everywhere made Prompto take a quick snap shot of the bedhead.

"Really? Really man?"

"His hair looks hilarious! You can't tell me you don't find that funny!"

Gladiolus gave their friend a sharp slap to the back of the head before turning back to their sick friend in bed, who was staring at them all like he'd never seen them before.

"Hey Specs. You with us?"

Ignis blinked again. And again. Before anyone realized he was blind without his specs. The tank chuckled sheepishly, grabbing the resting glasses from the nightstand and carefully putting them on. "Sorry about that, man. Better?"

The tactician blinked for the forth time, finally able to see his friends, and croaked, "W...wh' happen?"

The other three looked at each other and laughed. Ignis wasn't fully with it, his head looked terrible and he's have a fit if he ever saw it, and his voice was shot. He still ran a fever, and he held a small handful of napkins tightly in his left hand. All in all, he looked terrible in a very hilarious manner.

Overall, however... he was back. Well, as back as he would be for the time being.

"Welcome home, Sleeping Princess."

* * *

 **And complete! I lied about it being a two shot- there is one last chapter I want to do after this one.**

 **Please leave any reviews or thoughts on this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! This is definitely the last chapter of this short story! I hope you all enjoyed it! (And I'm sure Ignis is grateful to stop being sick finally too!)**

 **Anyways, I own nothing. On with the story!**

* * *

 **Sick Day**

 **Chapter 3**

Ignis sat up in the bed, trying and failing for the tenth time that day that he was strong enough to continue on to Altissa. He's been cooped up in the bed for the past almost two weeks since fighting his nasty cold (or flu, as Prompto was convinced), and he still wasn't quite 100 percent.

"For the last time, I insist we continue onward!" Ignis tried to argue. His voice still hadn't come back fully either, and it was still raspy. "I will be fine once we are in the Regalia and on the road and SAFE."

Prompto, Noctis and Gladiolus looked at one another and then Ignis, grinning and shaking his head. The bespectacled man let out an irritated huff and pinched the bridge of his nose before he gripped his head.

"Hmm... still have headaches, huh?" Gladio asked, placing his palm to his forehead. For what must've been the millionth time, Ignis's face heated up and he looked away from his friends. "Can't give you another potion Iggy, not yet anyways. You need something?"

Noctis blinked when he noticed Ignis's lips were moving but not a sound came out. Prompto leaned closer, nearly getting in Ignis's face.

"Huh? Didn't quiiiite catch that, Iggy."

"I said... I-I'm fine..." was all the man would say. He looked... uncomfortable and he was a bit twitchy under Gladiolus's hand. Prompto made note of that, and while the others tried to figure out what Ignis would need and what their next course of obtaining the money that was spent for the two weeks they were there, the blond decided that he needed to talk to Ignis alone.

* * *

"Hey Iggy."

Ignis looked up from a book he'd been requesting to read, his glasses slipping a bit down his nose. He pushed them up and smiled softly upon seeing their chocobo lover entering. "Hello Prompto. Where are the others?"

"They said they were going to talk to that owner at the store over there to see about any hunts that we could pick up before we head out." He sat on the bed, close enough that they were hip to hip. "We should be leaving tomorrow, depending on how you appear to be. How you holding up?"

Ignis thought about it and shrugged one shoulder. "I feel fine, to be honest. I can't fathom why you all won't let me drive the car- I don't have any other illness to worry about."

Prompto looked at the book in his hand. "I know you're feeling better, but... we just want to be sure. That's all..."

Catching the change in tone, Ignis let the book fall in his lap. "Prompto."

"Hmm?"

"What happened to me? When I was sick?" Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder to get his friend to look up. "To be honest, I cannot recall anything after we got here and it's been frustrating trying to get the prince or Gladio to talk."

Letting out a humorless laugh, the blonde looked at the window and nodded. "I'd imagine... you gave us a scare there, Iggy. Never saw you like that before... it was scary... and a little... weird..."

Ignis nodded. "I... I know the feeling..." he admitted quietly. "It was strange... I felt like I was trapped in another world. It was so hard to get out... and I was tired, more than normal." He then said in a softer voice, "And by the gods... my head... I'd never experienced something so painful, even after all our encounters... it felt like my head was going to explode..."

Prompto recalled the many instances Ignis contantly whined about his head. "Your fever's probably why. I don't know all the details, but... Gladdy said it was bad. Like, near death bad. You were really out of it for a good bit."

There was a pause of quiet. Then, in a quiet voice, Prompto spoke up once again.

"Iggy? Were... were you scared?"

Ignis looked at Prompto a moment, not saying a word, his face blank. After what seemed like forever of green hues staring into blue, the taller man looked at the sheets. "...yes. I think I was."

"You... remember why?"

"I don't know... perhaps its because I felt I... I was dragging you all down. That perhaps... I would honestly not wake up to see another day, I guess." He flexed his left hand, frustrated at himself.

"All because of a common illness... I could have endangered myself or you all... but I'm glad everything turned out alright."

At that thought, Ignis eyed Prompto, who seemed lost in his own world, although he was thinking about something important. "Prompto? Is there something else you want to tell me?"

The blond worried his bottom lip. "I... N-no, it's... not that..." He quickly switched the topic, not wanting to be put on the spot like he was. "U-Umm, do you remember being dunked in the cold water?"

Ignis knew Prompto was trying to avoid his orginal question, but decided to humor him. He thought... and thought... and finally shook his head no before something came to him. "Not... exactly that, but... I do recall feeling pins and needles, as if someone were poking at my arms and legs and it wouldn't stop. Is that what that was?"

Prompto nodded and leaned back on his hands. "Yeah. Had to put you in there or... you probably wouldn't have lasted the night."

"I am beginning to see that. Now Prompto..." Ignis sat up a bit to help with his back and firmly gripped his young companion's shoulder tight, enough to get a small yelp out of the gunner.

"O-Oww... kinda tight there, Iggy."

"Prompto. What is really on your mind? What happened?" he asked, his tone leaving no room for lies... or an argument. Prompto's eyes averted his gaze. "N-Nothing... it's really nothing, don't worry about it-"

"Prompto." Ignis was starting to get annoyed; why did his friends insist on making things so difficult and just not answer his questions?

What he wasn't expecting was the quickest break from his grip... or a hug. Mostly the hug.

"P-Prompto?! What is the meaning of this?!" Ignis demanded, feeling his friend's heart beating through his thin shirt. It was hard and a bit rapid, and it caught Ignis's attention.

"Prompto... what happened?" he asked, lowering his voice as he felt a small hiccup on his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this?"

The man shut his eyes tight and let out a shuddered breath, not bothering to hide the fact tears were rolling down his cheek. "N-Next time you decide to get sick... could you let us know?" the blond nearly whispered. "You seriously scared the crap outta me... I really thought you were gonna die."

Ignis's eyes widened at the open display of affection the blond was showing, along with the clear worry, and he relaxed before deciding to break his own normal behavior and return the hug. He smiled at the effect it had on him, feeling his heart beat a little less hard. "I... I apologize, Prompto. I didn't realize how severe things would have gotten. I just assumed I would be fine after a good night's rest."

"Promise you'll tell us? I-If something is wrong?" he hiccupped, hugging Ignis so tight he was pretyt sure he could snap his in two despite the muscle the older man had.

"As long as you do the same. You tend to hold things inside too, Prompto. It has to work both ways."

Letting go of his friend before it got awkward, Prompto tilted his head and wiped his face. "We all share that habit, I think. Noct and Gladdy hold in a lot too."

"But they eventually release it, whether it be through arguments or anger or just late night talks around the fire. You, Prompto... you always play things off, always believe you are expandable. And that bothers us, you know."

"I... I'm sorry..." was all Prompto could weakly say; how did this flip on him, anyways? He wasn't the one sick in bed! Damn Ignis and his ability to change topics so fast!

Ignis smiled, understanding where he was coming from all too well. "Don't be. We all have that trait that is very hard to break, but we trust each other. We are all just very stubborn."

"I... I guess old habits can't break like that, huh..." Prompto weakly chuckled.

"No. I suppose we can't."

Just then, the door opened. Gladiolus and Noctis walked in, arms full of food and more curatives for the road. "Yo, Specs. What's up?"

Prompto smiled widely and hopped off the bed, grabbing the bags Gladiolus held. "L-Lemme get these, big guy!"

Eyeing his very scrawny friend, Gladiolus questioned, "You sure?"

"Jeez! You act like I can't manage a few potions and some food!" Prompto exclaimed, feigning hurt as he hosted the bags in his arms. Noctis chuckled as he helped him place everything on the small desk in the corner.

"Alright. Tonight is our last night here- frankly, we're broke. The Regalia is still full, so we should be able to find a haven or another place to spend the night before we reach Altissa."

"We're pretty stocked up for the time being and we should be good on potions and crap. But we are running real low on gil- we're gonna hafta find a hunt someplace and fast. Which leads to my next question..."

Looking Ignis up and down, he asked, "Ignis, how are you feeling? And be honest."

Ignis sighed heavily; things weren't about to change anytime soon. He really wasn't used to being fretted over and pampered, and if Prompto's earlier mini-breakdown and talk were anything to go off... he didn't like being worried over. _'I told you that habit is hard to break...'_

"I feel fine. Truly and honestly I feel perfectly fine." He crossed his arms. "If anything I would like to get out of this bed."

It wasn't like he wasn't lying- he'd broken the fever after about six days, and slowly regained his strength after that. He was able to hold down more solid food, eating soup for almost five days before being able to take more... normal food. Ignis would be lying if he said the food they'd been getting from the nearby diner was any form of good... he couldn't wait to cook once again, and from the way Noctis was picking at the near vegetable dish he had, he could tell the others missed him too.

"Noct, you're driving. Tomorrow morning." Gladiolus suddenly decided between bits of food. Both Ignis and the Prince glared at the tank and spoke at the same time, "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said"-at that, Gladiolus cut a death glare at the prince- "NOCT is driving the car for at least another two days until you're back at 100 percent, Iggy. And you're staying away from combat, too."

"Driving... as in, early in the morning, sun isn't even up, I'M not even up driving?!" Noctis was pissed. "Why not make Prompto drive?!"

"Need I remind you what happened the last time he drove?" Ignis piped up, a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes as he looked at Noctis with a small smirk. He wasn't feeling well enough to drive and deal with the usually everyday conversations and focus needed to keep them alive, if he were honest. "I'd like to arrive for your wedding in one piece and ALIVE, if that's okay with you."

"I second that. So now that THAT'S settled-"

"Wait a damn minute! Why the hell must I drive?!" the prince was getting angry now, and stood in Gladiolus' face to debete that order. Ignis groaned and rubbed his temples.

"He should have expected that at least..." Prompto looked at Ignis sympathetically.

After a tense argument, Noctis finally agreeing to drive for a few days, Gladiolus continued on with a suitable plan to get them safely to Noctis's wedding, earning more gil and finding a caravan for Ignis to comfortably rest in while he recovered a little longer. Prompto flopped back on the bed- and Ignis's legs- but the latter didn't mind or didn't comment if he did. He simply resumed reading his book.

"Awww man, more hunting?" Prompto groaned, tossing an arm over his eyes. "And the hunting... ugh, must we hunt as soon as we leave? I mean, Iggy's just getting better and someone should watch over him-OWWWW!"

Gladiolus made no attempt to hide the fact he kicked Prompto's foot. "Shut your whining."

"Well I think it's a fairly good plan. Noct?"

"Ugh.. early morning driving..." he moaned in annoyance, still irked his Shield's argument made sense... and Prompto was such a terrible omen to the poor Regalia that it was up to him to drive. _'I rely on Specs way too damn much, but... the morning... the sun...'_

The Prince went back to his bed and flopped down on it before waving a hand towards the others. "Yeah, yeah, plan's fine... except for that damn driving..."

* * *

That night, Ignis found that he was tired of sleeping. The weather had improved, but not enough to want to go outside on his own, especially at the hour it was. So he sat in one of the room's chairs, a small lamp dimly lit to allow the others to sleep- although he knew Noctis was dead to the world no matter what. Prompto's light breathing and Noctis's equally light snores matched almost exactly.

"Can't sleep either, huh." Gladiolus was sitting up in the bed, checking to be sure Ignis wouldn't double over in any pain or wasn't hiding any symptoms.

Ignis, if he were honest, appreciated the late night company and just nodded, crossing his legs as he normally would, his sharp eyes landing on the reflection off Prompto's resting camera. "Yes. I found that my body is... tired of sleeping, if that makes sense. I finished reading a while ago."

Chuckling quietly, the tank stretched his arms and popped his shoulders before he leaned back against the bedhead. "I can only imagine. You've slept for two whole weeks; you can use the exercise."

"What about you?"

A shrug. "Eh. Couldn't really sleep either. Too much on my mind."

"Hmm. Same."

The due fell silent, listening to the nightlife outside their motel and the soft breathing of the two slumbering men nearby. "I had a talk with Prompto earlier."

"Oh? What about?"

Ignis's smile told Gladiolus it was something touchy-feeling, which seemed right up the youngest member's alley. "Must've been some conversation."

"Nothing in particular. It... it was... a bit of an eye-opener, actually. And... a bit... strange as well."

Gladiolus was getting interested. "Keep going."

"Prompto finally told me- well, summarized, anyways- what happened to me while I was sick. That I scared you all and nearly lost my life to a common cold." He paused as he tried to figure out where he was going with the conversation.

"It was strange because... I... well, I always knew I would die."

"Stop talkin' like you plan to check sometime soon."

Ignis scoffed lightly, but was touched at the genuine concern that seeped through his large friend's words. "I do not plan on leaving our young king behind until he had fulfilled his destiny."

"And after?"

"Hmmm. I never thought about that."

They fell silent again, Ignis glancing up at Prompto and Noctis. Gladiolus did as well, smiling as he listened to the prince's mumbling, more than likely over Lunafreya. "So what happened?"

"Well... it was strange but... Prompto... shed tears. Over my illness."

"Come again?"

"He believed I was close to death. That it... scared him."

Humming in agreement, Gladiolus simply nodded, his gaze at the many twinkling lights. "He wasn't the only one who was scared out of their mind, you know. Noctis and I were too..." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Iggy... you've never been sick for as long as we've all known each other. If anything, Noct or Prom have a higher chance of getting sick and it's something we're used to. But you... you were just sick- just a damn cold- and you literally stopped my heart at least twice the first three days."

Ignis's mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened at THAT admission, and he slowly understood why it hurt Prompto to tell him everything that happened. "Oh... I... understand..."

"Getting sick is normal for all of us, but it's... I don't know. Maybe because it's one of us. It just scared me more than it should have and honestly, I was shocked at how strong both of them were being- I know they were trying to keep it together but..."

"I see..."

Gladiolus chuckled at the expression Ignis had under the soft glow of the light. "Strange that we worry over you?" he called out.

Ignis didn't know how to reply so he just stared at nothing in particular and muttered, "It's... new. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble..."

"Just do us a favor and don't hide something like that again, hmm? Noct was about to lose his mind while you were out and it took a lot of work to calm him down, soooo yeah... do let us know, 'kay?"

"I promised Prompto I'd do that. But we all share that habit, you know."

Gladiolus opened his mouth to deny that, but realized- hey, he's right. "Yeah. True."

Comfortable silence fell over them again. Then Ignis stood up and walked over to the bed and climbed in bed. "Getting tired, huh?"

"Yes. Will you remain up?"

"Probably not much longer. Gotta wake up and prepare to roll Noct out of bed before checkout time." At that they shared a light laugh before Ignis took off his glasses and set them aside.

"Point taken. Someone must wake him in the morning."

As Ignis laid in bed, his mind went through the last few weeks, and even further than that. He realized just how blessed he was that he had such close, caring companions that they would feel afraid for him, and even shed tears over him... all because of a cold.

"S-Specs..."

He opened one eye and noticed a very black blob mixing in the dark room. "N-Noct... is everything alright?"he asked, voice thick yet soft with sleep.

He felt his hand touch his forehead and a soft sigh of relief- it appeared as if Noctis didn't hear him. Ignis knew that Noctis had a hard time expressing his feelings around them and this was probably the only time he would, while the others were asleep. So he closed his eye and evened out his breathing as Noctis began to speak.

"L-Listen, I... I know I should've said this earlier... and I know I'm a pretty horrible person for not doing it, but... thank you, Specs. You sacrificed so much for me, and you almost got too sick to be saved. And I... I almost..."

He heard a deep breath being taken and then a small sniff. "I know I don't say this enough- especially to your face- but thanks. For... damn, well everything." Noctis sighed.

"That... was a lot harder than I thought..."

Ignis was able to hide his sincere smile in his pillow and felt the bed shift as Noct got up. He shocked himself when a single lone tear rolled down his face and into his pillow. That was definitely a first for him.

 _'Your Highness... Gladiolus... Prompto... I appreciate this. I don't know what else to say except thank you...'_

The next morning, with a bit of help from his friends, Ignis was finally seated inside the beloved Regalia. Noctis and Prompto bantered while Gladiolus sat in his usual spot, prepared for a long trip of whining and complaints.

"Oh man, I missed this baby! Let her purr, Noct!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sit back and shut up so I can drive and not get us killed."

"You get us killed and I'm killing you again, Noct."

"Well, where to, Specs?" No reply. "Specs?"

Ignis was fast asleep, head resting on Gladiolus's shoulder, mouth slightly agape. Gladiolus simply picked up his book and resumed reading. "Knew he was too tired to drive. Getting better my ass, Iggy."

Prompto glanced back and grinned widely before reaching for his camera and taking the snapshot of a lifetime- a sleeping Ignis. "I've gotten sleeping Nocts, and sleeping big guy, but never got a sleeping Specs."

"Wait, why are you taking pictures of me sleeping?!"

A sudden swerve had Gladiolus swatting both Noctis and Prompto upside the head, one arm protectively holding Ignis as he was about as dead to the world as Noct was on an everyday basis.

"Pay attention to the damn road!"

"OW! Did you have to hit me that time?!"

Narrowing his eyes was enough for the blond to yelp and turn around in his seat, shutting up quickly. "Thought so. Now listen- Ignis still ain't 100, so let him rest. Prom, stop taking shots, and Noct, just keep driving and pay attention. I'll tell ya when we need to stop."

"Ugh... damn it Specs... you just had to get sick..." Noctis complained as they drove on.

Ignis slept on peacefully as the trip continued, obvious to everything and everyone around him.

 **END**

* * *

 **And complete! Well that was a fun little story to work on! I hope I added enough fluff factor for our spectacle-wearing friend, and I hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **As always, please review and let me know what you think!**

 **Until next time!**


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